


give him love letters (they don't expire)

by imnyoung



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, actually just bad, bad fluff, but noren needs more love so, i hate this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 00:32:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10605564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnyoung/pseuds/imnyoung
Summary: someone has been leaving love letters in Jeno's locker, but no worries, detective Jeno is on the case!





	

**Author's Note:**

> ho ho wake me up thirsty thirsty for noren
> 
> warnings: not proofread, rushed ending bc i was lazy towards the end and overall i think its bad
> 
> feel free to tell me if there are any mistakes!! enjoy!!

Football practice had just finished, the sun is setting quickly so the rest of the members are hurrying to be the first to shower. Including Jeno, who had a re-run to watch and today, fortunately, he had been one of the firsts. 

Jeno hums in satisfaction. Waiting in drying sweat was never his favorite, so when Yukhei had offered his in exchange for a phone call from his mother, Jeno immediately grabbed the chance. 

Jeno walks over to where his locker is while drying his hair, passing by a noisy Jisung and Chenle who's pressuring Mark to watch a movie with them this weekend, Jeno only knows this because he was in the same position hours ago.

He pats the back of his neck softly, letting the towel rest on his shoulders as he opens his normally empty locker. To his surprise, a white envelope slips out. 

Jeno is immediately curious. He squints at the envelope, as if revealing the contents inside. He inspects it closely, turning it around and looking at every crook carefully. If the single red heart sealing the paper was anything to go by, this was a love letter. The kids behind him get awfully quiet as well, so that adds to his suspicion. 

He opens it slowly, not wanting to tear his first love letter apart. It's louder than it seems since Jeno's holding his breath, and the others shuffle closer quietly. Jeno huffs.

"Getting nosy now, aren't we?" He says, not even looking behind him to see the others peering curiously over his shoulder. Mark grins unabashedly at him from his peripheral vision. 

Jeno slips the letter out carefully, unraveling it to reveal the neat cursive handwriting of his admirer, the paper is clean, no stickers and no smudges. _This can't be any of his friends, then._

It reads: _Dear Jeno,_

_Hello, I just wanted to say that you looked really good playing today. Good luck on your game next week!_

_Sincerely, mmn._

Jeno turns to them critically, "This isn't any of you, is it?" He squints at them, using his height to intimidate them, except Jisung who's the same height. 

There's a chorus of no's but Chenle's looking rather funny. Like he's constipated or something. Mark looks like he has something to say. 

Jeno snaps, "What is it?" 

Chenle flinches and Mark avoids his eyes. "It's nothing, hyung. It's just that..." Chenle looks to Jisung for help and the youngest shakes his head, telling him _'Don't. Don't say it.'_

Chenle continues anyway, "You're blushing, hyung." 

Jeno slams his locker closed, finally feeling the hotness on his cheeks. He clutches at his letter tightly, and marches outside, wet clothes be damned. "Bye." He announces, bag slung over his shoulder. 

The chilly air outside calms him a little, and he jogs lightly towards home, secret admirer momentarily forgotten, a re-run of his favorite soap opera fogging his mind.

•

Yesterday, Jisung had stalked around while he was getting ready to go home after practice, his presence unneeded since he was only here to snoop around. He was sorely disappointed when there was no letter that day.

Today, again, the three of them hover behind him, not even bothering to respect Jeno's privacy. Jeno laughs inwardly, _what more are they expecting?_ He goes to open his locker, shaking his head at how expectant his friends are. _That there's another letter--_ A white envelope slips out, _for me?_

Chenle squeals behind him, shaking Jisung who looks as shaken as Jeno feels. He picks it up gingerly, the same red heart sealing the letter. Mark slaps his shoulder excitedly, chanting, "Open it, open it!" 

Jeno does so, curious what they might have to say now, and possibly leave a clue on who they are. 

_Dear Jeno,_

_I saw you talking to your friends today at the cafeteria. You looked pretty happy that time so I couldn't approach you. I've delayed my confession for another day, so maybe the next time I see you again, I can finally tell you. ;)_

_Sincerely, mmn._

"How long has he had a crush on you anyway?" Jisung asks innocently, Chenle and Mark quick to slap a hand on his mouth and they threathen him with a passion of a thousand suns. 

Jeno doesn't hear any of it though, the only thing he's asking himself is _"Who's mmn?"_

He tries to recall anyone he knows with the initials of MMN, but he comes up empty-handed. Maybe it's someone he doesn't know? 

"Dude, are you okay?" Mark puts a hand on his shoulder, avoiding the wrestle match the kids are having. 

"Yeah, but do you have an idea on who this might be?" Jeno asks Mark, the advice guy. He must know.

Mark shrugs apologetically, "Sorry man, no clue." 

Jeno sighs, head hanging low, "Thought so." 

When Jeno goes home that day, his admirer's identity haunts him. He's distracted during dinner, while doing his homework, hell, he couldn't even sleep well. 

Jeno hasn't broken any hearts yet, despite his dashing looks, no one really came to him to confess their undying love to him. Unlike his best friend Jaemin, who's the heartbreaker between them. 

He goes to school the next day, bags under his eyes due to lack of sleep. The reason? You guessed it. His cursed admirer.

It's not like Jeno doesn't like the attention, it's just that he's afraid that he's gonna have to reject them since he's so in love with _someone else._

"Jeno?" The said boy jumps because of the nerves from the coffee he just had or because it's _him_ who's talking to him. 

"Oh, hey. What's up?" Jeno tries for cool and casual, but it looks more like bored and sleepy since his eyelids are closing slightly. 

"You don't look too good," He comments and Jeno swoons, _his crush is worried for him!_

"What? No, I'm okay, everything's shipshape." Jeno assures him, waking up slightly, avoiding his disbelieving gaze. 

"Whatever you say." He shrugs and Jeno he almost, _almost_ tells his crush about his admirer, but embarrassment wins in the end. 

Jeno smiles, admirer momentarily forgotten once again, in favor of hooking his arm around the other boy's shoulders, "Let's walk together, Renjun." 

Huang Renjun, a friend he's had since his sophomore year, his instant crush the day he'd met the boy. Well, it's more like when he saw the boy then chickened out of talking to him everyday for a whole month. 

Renjun had first appeared in his life when Chenle had attended the try-out for the football team during his freshman year. He wasn't fluent in Korean yet, and Renjun had stood beside him the whole time, like a mother hen, translating for the younger boy. 

Jaemin, who had quit the team last year, had taken a liking to the two, especially Renjun, who was in his class. Jaemin told Jeno that they had talked for a total of zero times, and seeing him with a boy-child had been so cute, he couldn't resist talking to them. Jeno had been incredibly jealous of Jaemin in that period of time, freely talking to Renjun when all Jeno could do was stutter and make a fool of himself.

In the end, Jaemin joins Renjun and Donghyuck in their no-club-team, preferring to chill out and go home early. Much to Jeno's displeasure. 

Jaemin, his ex-bestfriend (they weren't friends anymore after Jaemin quit the team and flirted with Renjun during the try-out) had tried to play wingman for him, making Jeno talk to Renjun but he had been too nervous to talk to him. _'He was just so pretty,'_ Jeno would say (and still says) to Jaemin after another failed attempt, then Jaemin would roll his eyes and tell him to man up. 

Renjun had been the one to talk to him, after Jaemin had told Donghyuck, who told Mark, who told Jisung, who told Chenle, who told Renjun. The Chinese boy thought it was cute how he was nervous to talk to him, and Jeno had hoped that no one told Renjun that Jeno thought he was the most beautiful thing he had laid his eyes upon in the entire universe. 

It was the start of a blooming friendship, since Jaemin was basically Renjun's bodyguard, and Jaemin is Jeno's best friend, the two had spent a lot of time together, long enough to go out during weekends without Jaemin or Chenle, just the two of them. 

("Not a date," Jeno tells Donghyuck, who's wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.) 

A year has passed since then, and Jeno's affection for the other boy never lessened, growing more and more every time he sees him. 

Football practice is cancelled today due to bad weather, but Jeno still checked his locker before going home, Jisung and Donghyuck in tow. 

"Hyung, do you maybe like him--" Jisung asks, coughing in pain when Donghyuck elbows him in the stomach, "Or her?" He chokes out. 

Jeno doesn't catch on, busy opening his locker. "I don't think so? I just want to know who they are." His locker opens with a click and placed neatly on top of his clothes is another letter. 

Jeno didn't expect one today, he thought it came once every two days, so now it's all messed  
up. 

Donghyuck gasps behind him, nodding his head slowly, impressed for some reason. "So it's true." 

"Why are you talking like it was a myth?" Jeno feigns annoyance, moving away from Donghyuck so he doesn't see the contents.

"Hyung, open it." Jisung pulls on his sleeve incessantly. 

"Alright, alright." Jeno huffs like a tired, old man but he still opens the letter diligently. 

_Dear Jeno,_

_Today, our paths have crossed again. I'm sure you're wondering who I am, so don't worry, I'll reveal myself very soon. You slept in class today, so I was hoping that I could tell you over coffee, but it seems fate has other plans for us. Next time for sure. :)_

_P.S I had lot of fun talking to you today._

_Sincerely, mmn._

Jeno blinks, he talked to them today? 

"Oh, hey, you talked to them." Jisung points out, peering over at him eagerly. "Do you know who it is?" 

Let's see. There was Jisung, Donghyuck and Mark at lunch. So that's out of the way. Jaemin and Yeri at math class where they both skipped class. Um, maybe? Chenle and Yukhei at the boy's restroom, where Jeno had found them conversing about the colors of their underwear. Then Somi and Chaeyoung at English class where they made fun of Mr. Kim for spelling bicker as dicker. There's a possibility. Then there's Renjun this morning, _ha,_ Jeno wishes.

He turns to the two, looking lost, "I have no idea." 

"Coffee sounds good." Donghyuck suddenly says, and Jeno remembers the letter, telling him that they'd confess over coffee. Jeno gasps, _Could it be?_

"Donghyuck..." Jeno takes a step back, "Don't tell me..." 

Jisung loudly laughs at the scene he is currently witnessing, Donghyuck is red all over, ready to explode while Jeno looks horrified, but ready to reject Donghyuck anyways. 

"No, you dumbass." Dongyuck snarls, grabbing Jisung's arm and dragging the laughing boy away. "Let's go Jisung, I don't want to see your mug for a moment longer." Donghyuck says to Jeno, who pouts and chases after them, letter safely sandwiched between a notebook.

•

Jaemin doesn't have a club so he decides to accompany Jeno who was still shaken from the letter yesterday. He skipped practice today to brainstorm with Jaemin. That was pretty hilarious to Jaemin.

The cafe they're in is the same place the three had went into yesterday. Their strawberry cheesecake was superb and by extension, comforting him immensely. 

"So, any leads?" Jaemin asks him after they sat down and ordered, a hot choco for Jaemin and three slices of cheesecake for Jeno. 

"Could it be Yeri?" Jeno wonders, her handwriting was good, from what Somi had told him. 

"Hmm, I don't know. She told me she's seeing someone." 

_Darn._ That's another person off the list. Based on handwriting, it can't be Donghyuck, Mark or Jisung, who has messy handwriting. It also can't be Renjun, Chenle, Yukhae or Somi, who writes with bubbly handwriting. So that leaves Jaemin, Chaeyoung, and Chan who writes with cursive handwriting. 

 

"Could it be Chan? He told me that he watched our football match recently."

Jaemin looks like he's about to burst laughing but the ringing of his phone stops him. "Hold on, I gotta take this." He exits the cafe quickly, leaving his bag wide open for the whole world to see. 

Normally, Jeno would let it be, Jaemin's bag is just like any other student's bag, but a dash of red catches his eye. He pulls out the piece, revealing red heart stickers, the same stickers used in his love letters. 

Jeno looks at the stickers in horror, _What was he supposed to tell Jaemin?_

In his panic-stricken state, he doesn't notice Jaemin come back in and freeze when he sees what Jeno's holding. 

He runs for their table and snatches it away from him, tucking it back into his bag nervously. "Jeno, don't think of anything funny." Jaemin warns. 

But Jeno only looks at him blankly, Jaemin can hear the rusty gears turning in his head. _Could it be?_

"It isn't me, Jeno. Believe me, I bought this for... a friend." 

"Is your friend _the_ admirer?" Jeno asks, getting information while Jaemin is shaken. 

"Um, no." Jaemin averts his eyes, "It's for a _very_ special friend of mine. And I'm doing something for them, inspired by what's happening to you." Jaemin cringes, hoping that Jeno buys his lies. 

Thankfully, Jeno deflates and pouts, "Who's the lucky person?" 

Jaemin smiles tightly, "Well..." 

 

•

 

Four love letters later, Jeno still has no clue who it is. He does feel a bit sorry for then, an impending rejection coming for them since Jeno and Renjun had been talking, and the incessant butterflies in his stomach never went away, as well as hypersensitivity whenever the other was near. 

The others have ditched them to play volleyball with the other students and Jeno isn't any good with volleyball, and Renjun already got hit on the face once. So the two of them walk around the school aimlessly, and everything was going well, until Renjun asks about his admirer. 

"So, who's this admirer I keep hearing about?" Renjun asks as they stop at their building second floor, where they can watch the others play and catch the breeze up here. 

Jeno groans, "Who told you that?" 

"Why, I can't know?" Renjun pouts at him and Jeno, as a defense mechanism, flicks his forehead. "Ow!" 

"I don't know who they are." Jeno sighs, if Renjun knows anyway, maybe advice from him would be a little help? "But, what do I do?" 

"What?" Renjun asks, holding his forehead. 

"Should I give them a chance or reject them since I like someone else who would never like me back?" 

"How are you so sure they wouldn't like you back?" Renjun raises a brow at him, while Jeno lights up. 

"Because they're a different level. Jeno's eyes shine as he talks about his crush. "So," Jeno turns back to him, eyes still blazing, "what do you think?" 

"Why not give them a chance? Since you're so sure your crush doesn't like you back." Renjun pointedly looks at Jeno, who still looks stricken about making his choice. 

"Enough about that though, tell me about your crush." Renjun rests his chin on his palm, looking at Jeno with interest. 

Jeno flushes slightly under Renjun's attention. "Well, they're really pretty. And smart, and funny, and really good at giving advice and really understanding." Jeno nods once, before adding quickly, too eagerly, "Oh, he's also really cute when he cries—"

"He?" Renjun prods, a smirk dancing on his plush lips. _Oh, man._

"Um, yeah," Jeno curses his blabber mouth, "You've got a problem with it?" He nervously asks. 

Renjun hums, "Not at all. Actually, we're in the same boat." He smiles knowingly, and Jeno looks at him in awe, mouth agape, alarms going off in his head and the school bell rings and then, he's gone. 

Classes pass like a blur to Jeno, mind wandering to dangerous territory, such as holding Renjun's hand, maybe. Or walking home together or _dating._ Jeno giggles to himself. 

Jeno didn't bother stopping his delusions, since his 0.01% chance of getting together with the Chinese boy bumped up to a whopping .5%, he couldn't help but feel hopeful and giddy. 

Jeno was at his best condition at today's football pratice, dodging his opponents swiftly and shooting goals with ease. Chenle, who had witnessed how Jeno sucked in the past few matches, wondered how someone could make a full 360 change within a day. 

"Something good happen, hyung?" Chenle asks, fresh out of the shower. 

Jeno doesn't bother responding, instead humming his favorite tune, fresh out of the shower himself. He skips towards his locker, opening it without a second thought. 

His locker door swings open and a white envelope slips out, but Jeno doesn't seem to notice it, stuck in his own happy world. 

Chenle picks it ip instead, furrowing his eyebrows at Jeno, tapping his shoulder to get him out of his joy-induced reverie. "Hyung, you dropped this." He waves the letter around. 

Jeno freezes when he sees the letter, now that he's got a slim chance with Renjun he can't answer them, he's got to stay true to himself. 

He opens the letter, heart stopping at its contents. It reads:

_Wednesday. It's a date. ;)_

_Sincerely, mmn._

That's it. No 'Dear Jeno,' no other clues, but Jeno knows, he can feel it in his bones, that this is their confrontation. It makes Jeno anxious, to finally meet them in person, and to break their heart. But, for some reason, it also makes him relieved, so he waits. 

Jeno waits for a three days, impatiently, and shifty as hell, as his friends tell him. He really wants to know who they are, who's behind all those letters and _why him?_

He can't believe he's saying this but, Jeno's looking forward to it. If you asked him this weeks ago, he'd be a nervous mess. But here he is, practically vibrating to meet them. They may not be anything more, but Jeno's willing to try becoming friends. 

So when Renjun asks him to go out with him that same day, when Jeno had waited all day for them, but no one came, so he assumes that they would approach him after school, Jeno is sure when he says, "Sorry, can't." 

He's waiting outside the gates, without any of his friends because they might be shy and feel awkward, so he was alone until Renjun came. 

"Come on," He whines, pulling at Jeno's arm, and normally he'd be swayed immediately. But today, someone is looking for him, and they could always go out sometime else, _just not now._ "Please?"

"Look, I really can't. Remember the admirer they've been telling you about? I'm meeting them today." Jeno huffs and turns away from the other, missing the way Renjun pursed his lips to prevent himself from grinning. 

But, man, _Jeno is really stubborn._ "Please, Jeno? It's really important." Renjun says, and feels sort of guilty for using this method, but if it can unglue Jeno from his spot, he'll do it.

Jeno gives him a look, almost like a pleading one, for Renjun not to do this to him. But Renjun can be stubborn too, so he stands his ground, looking up at Jeno with as much as sincerity he can muster. 

After another miserable once-over, Jeno deflates as he sighs deeply. Giving Renjun a sideway glare that even Jeno himself didn't think he could do, he grumbles, "This better be important." 

Walking to the cafe was awkward, to say the least. Jeno was visibly upset and while Renjun tried his best to lighten him up, the taller would look away or roll his eyes. Renjun didn't think Jeno was capable of being this upset over a stranger who sent letters. But it wasn't Renjun's fault that Jeno couldn't take a hint. 

They get seated near the window, where the sunset can be viewed beautifully. Jeno plops himself in the other chair, crossing his arms like a child and looking outside while Renjun orders for himself in the counter, he returns to ask Jeno what he wants.

"What are you gonna get, Jeno?" Renjun slides him the menu, but Jeno still won't cooperate. 

"Nothing, just tell me what it is, so I can be on my way." Jeno says, coldly, still looking out the window. When Renjun doesn't get an answer for a few more minutes, he sighs as well, leaning back unto his chair. He digs something out from his backpack, sliding it across the table slowly until it's on the middle of the table. 

Jeno doesn't look at first, distracted by the way the sun's rays are disappearing slowly into the surface. Also because he's still upset at Renjun. 

But when he chances a glance after a few moments, he spots the familiar red heart tacked on a neat, white envelope. Immediately, his eyes are glued to it, mind having a hard time registering what's happening right now. 

He takes it mindlessly, his head's drawing a blank, and he places it on his lap, almost afraid to open it. _This isn't real is it._

He looks at Renjun, who's smiling softly at him, and that's when Jeno registers the quick pace of his heartbeat, and how he's been opening and closing his mouth, but nothing's coming out. 

"I-- I... Is this...?" Jeno manages to stutter out, hands shaking slightly.

"Open it." Renjun encourages. 

Clumsy hands slowly tear off the red heart sealing the letter, and his heart stops when he read it. 

_Dearest Lee Jeno,_

_Will you finally look at me now?_

_Sincerely yours, Huang Renjun._

When he puts the letter down, it's still Renjun who's there, but suddenly, he looks more ethereal, more beautiful. The sunset illuminates the side of his face and the way he smiles at Jeno with pure, unadulterated joy. 

Jeno blurts, "I like you." 

"I know." He giggles, offering his hand to Jeno, "I like you, too. Be my boyfriend?" He looks hopeful, and if a part of Jeno tells him that this is too good to be true, he ignores it in favor of taking his hand and intertwining his and Renjun's fingers together. 

"Yes, of course. For as long as you'll have me." Jeno says and Renjun blushes at how cheesy that sounded.

"So, isn't this more important than whatever you were doing a while ago?" Renjun jokes after a while, after their food arrives, an iced mocha for Renjun and a strawberry cheesecake for Jeno.

"You could have just said that it was you who sent them, you know." Jeno says, cheeks stuffed with his treat, pointing his fork at the other. 

"I thought you would get it though. I told you it was on Wednesday, right?" 

Jeno really didn't expect this, though. Right now, he's officially _Renjun's boyfriend._ Wow, that's gonna take some time to get used to. But he doesn't think they're going too fast, since Renjun apparently knows he's liked him since they met, and it's been a month or so since Renjun has first started sending him letters. 

"I didn't think it was gonna be you, okay?" Jeno admits, this still feels too good to be true. 

"I have to thank Jaemin, though. He was like my servant whenever the materials were scarce." Renjun laughs, taking his phone out. "He really wanted to get us together." 

Jeno suddenly remembers the stickers he found in his bag, "You mean he knew all this time I was ranting to him?" 

"Yeah, all of them knew." Renjun sheepishly says, rubbing the back of his neck. "I even had help Chenle, and sometimes Mark and Jisung, too. They were the ones putting the letters in your locker." He shows Jeno his messages with the younger Chinese boy, "It's been chaos with that boy, really."

No wonder they've been hovering since day one. "I even asked Mark if he knew who it was, and he said he didn't know." Jeno pouts, "But why is your initials MMN?" 

At this, Renjun flushes, his melting drink suddenly interesting, and he chuckles unenthusiastically. "Don't laugh, okay?" He looks at Jeno for a second before dropping his head down miserably, sighing deeply. "It means Moomin, the initials to my name are too obvious." 

Jeno laughs, because _how can someone be so cute?_ While doing so, he pats the other's hand apologetically, smiling warmly at his pouting boyfriend when his laughter dies down. "Don't worry, it's cute." Jeno says honestly.

•

The next day, Renjun waits for Jeno at the gates to walk with him to class, holding hands for everyone to see, and exchanging warm smiles exclusively for themselves only. If the rest of their friends comment or tease them for it, they let it pass for now, too content in their new relationship for anything to stand in their way.

Meanwhile, Jaemin and Donghyuck gather all of Renjun's unsent letters, stuffing them into Jeno's locker and filling it to the brim, with Mark, Jisung and Chenle's phones ready for when Jeno opens his locker later after practice. 

_Now, let's see how they love._

**Author's Note:**

> can i say i love long titles? bc i love long titles
> 
> i don't particularly like this since it got so messy in the end ㅠㅠ but if you guys liked it, wow thank you so much!!!
> 
> here's my [tumblr](http://imnyeong.tumblr.com/) if you guys wanna talk!!
> 
> also i made a new twitter but there isn't much there ;; but if ya'll wanna talk it's @huangrengun :)


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